We Met On a Snowy Night
by Selaphia
Summary: "Huff…huff" A little boy ran nimbly across boxes and trash littered across the dark, cobblestone alleyway. He could hear heavy footsteps following close behind him, quickly, catching up to him. COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

**HI everyone! It's Selaphia here! It's been awhile since I last made a story, but I decided to make a one shot instead, I think this will turn out to be 2 or 3 chapters, depending on my mood. I'm kinda on writer's block for my upcoming story (haven't gotten a name for it yet) and I'll post that story when I'm finished with it. I kinda hate stopping between the middle of my stories now, so after I'm finished with it, I won't be posting it up. Hope you'll wait for it! Now, enjoy this story.  
><strong>

**~Selaphia~**

* * *

><p><em>One snowy night, a little boy ran…..<em>

"Huff…huff" A little boy ran nimbly across boxes and trash littered across the dark, cobblestone alleyway. He could hear heavy footsteps following close behind him, quickly catching up. Trying to find a way to outrun the men following him, he came across a wooden box, big enough to fit his small frame, yet worn and old enough to be overlooked. Soon, two big, burly men with overgrown mustaches and meaty frames came into view. One had a huge scar across his face, over his nose with intimidating eyes. The other was fat and gruesome, with a pudgy face that no one can hardly tell where the eyes are, much less the mouth. They seemed to be looking for a certain someone.

"Dammit, where did that pink rascal run off to?" yelled the man with the pudgy face. Yet even though he said that with enough force to send a grown man reeling, his face was sweating profusely and he looked like he was having an asthma attack. The young, pink haired boy crouched as low as he could inside the box, not making a single movement or sound, hoping that those two would run off.

"SNAP!" The sound came from behind the boy. "What's that?" said the scarred man. "What's what?" the pudgy man snapped. He was angry that the stupid boy ran away from stealing from him under his very nose, much less his brother that was standing beside him. His temper was becoming worse with each passing second in the cold, dark alleyway, while the snow was piling steadily. "A sound came from the box. It could be the boy." The scarred man was about to look into it, until his brother's voice snapped him to stop. "Don't even bother! It must just be cat staying in there anyways. The boy will soon die from this freezing weather soon enough. Let's go." And so the pudgy man went back to where he came from, knowing that his brother would soon follow. The scarred brother gave a look at the box one last time before following the other man.

"Phew…" the boy let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't even known that he was holding his breath. And then he stilled. He felt something soft and furry rubbing against his calf. He turned around to find a small, blue kitten, looking as though he was abandoned. "Meow…." The small, starving kitten looked at him with the eyes of a helpless child, yet had a curious glint to it. The small thing was no more than skin and bones with blue fur clinging onto his fragile body. Natsu smiled and cuddled the small animal onto his warm chest.

"Here, I'm gonna give you some meat." And then he brought a huge piece of ham seemingly out of nowhere from his jacket. It was the 'thing' that he had stolen from the two previous men. Feeding the starving kitten little by little, he started to tear off small chunks so he could eat too. Soon, the ham was finished. The small, blue feline curled up next to him, going off to sleep. The boy looked at him softly. _He looks happy….I know! I'll call him Happy!_

Seemingly contented to have found a name for his new companion, he looked out of the box to watch the snow fall steadily but piling quickly. _They're right, _thought the boy, _I can't stay out here, or we'll freeze to death._

Carefully tucking the kitten into his vest, he took off, not knowing where to run to. Where would he run to? He was just an orphan who had been apparently thrown out of the orphanage when he got into a fight. He wasn't even the one who started it, yet he received the punishment to be banished from the only shelter that would take him in. he was just saving a bird from getting killed by the three idiots who were kicking it.

"Stupid morons…." He muttered to himself. Walking alone the cobblestone streets in the middle of the night with nothing to protect him from the cold was taking its toll on the young boy. Pretty soon, his eyesight was feeling cloudy; he couldn't feel his fingers or feet anymore. "N-n-no…I-I need…t-t-to fi-i-nd a she-el-ter..." before he could take another step, he fell flat on his stomach and face into the soft snow. The small kitten had rolled out of his vest when he fell. It was crying from the cold, apparently trying to find some warmth it could feel. "I-I-I'm sorry, H-h-happy."

But before he passed out, he saw a little girl about the same age as him run over towards him. Her cute face, blonde hair, and warm clothes didn't matter to him. What caught his attention were her warm, chocolate colored eyes that reminded him of hot cocoa, shrouded with worry. It had been a long time since anyone had a look of worry for him, much less a stranger. He had a strange urge to console her, but before he could utter a word, he turned cold. His world turned black.

* * *

><p><strong>An: You think I should continue this story?**


	2. Chapter 2

**There are no words to express how utterly sorry I am! I was supposed to update this story last month, but alas, I had lots of school projects to complete, including my French skit, Science Project, 2 essays, and tons of IB stuff! ARGH! I HATE SCHOOL SO MUCH! ESPECIALLY IB! UGH, yea, sorry for ranting but for the people who loves long stories, I'm sorry to say that this story will probably be less than five chapters. Why? Because I'm working on a medieval story, another multi-chapter story! So yep, please wait for it! And here's my next story!**

**~Selaphia**

* * *

><p><em>A five-year old boy chased after his father, running along the green meadows behind their house. "Father!" he slowed to a stop. Gasping for breath, the father came back to where his son was. <em>

"_Had enough for now, boy?" the man, a little above six feet, towered over his son. He looked exactly like the boy with pink hair and deep, onyx eyes, except he had scars lining around his handsome face. "C'mon, up we go!"_

_Igneel picked up his son easily, as if he weighed nothing at all, and was now trotting back to their cozy home up on the hill. "Your mama's gonna kill us now that we just dirtied our clothes." _

_And then Natsu and Igneel said, "My hard work just went down drain!" Copying her favorite saying._

_They both laughed all the way to the house, quoting Grandeeney's favorite line whenever they did something destructive together. _

"_What are you boys laughing about?" Grandeeney asked with a skeptical look, knowing all too well what they were thinking. "Nothing mama!" a little Natsu piped up. He wiggled out of his father's arms and ran towards to embrace his mother. Grandeeney chuckled. "Come along, dinner's served. Eat before it gets cold, so you can grow up big and strong like your Papa, honey." _

_The little boy smiled his toothy grin and ran to be seated at their table. Before he put a spoonful of his mother's delicious cooking into his mouth, the family heard a loud banging at the door. Igneel got up quietly and carefully peeked out of a curtain through the window. He froze. He turned to his wife and quickly motioned for her to come over quickly. _

_The boy only heard a few, harsh murmurs before his dad shove his mom towards him. "Take him and LEAVE!" Igneel's expression frightened him. It looked so foreign and frightening from his father's usual carefree face. "But dear—!" before Grandeeney could finish her sentence, the front door was broken down. Three huge men with masks that covered their identities entered the humble house and came for Igneel. _

_Igneel stepped back and blew a gust of fire at the intruders. "LEAVE GRANDEENEY!" he yelled. He stepped back to avoid being sliced from one the swords the men were holding. Grandeeney picked up her son and started running towards the back door. "PAPA!" the boy cried, not wanting to part with his father. Then suddenly, his mother stumbled. One of the men had stationed at the back door, leaving them trapped. _

"_Well, well, what have we got here?" the said man had said. His breath was horrid and his smiling teeth showed signs of decaying and negligence. He was eyeing his mother's ample and curvy frame. Grandeeney glared at him and flicked her wrist and made a blast of wind to repel the man. It ended up breaking the door down and making the man crash onto a window. A strained cry made Grandeeney turn around. _

_Igneel was kneeling on the floor, with a sword pierced through his stomach. Blood was quickly pooling around his body. "IGNEEL!" "PAPA!" Grandeeney and her son yelled at the same time. Igneel turned his head around, horrified that his beloved wife and son were still there. They ran over to Igneel but then something was suddenly protruding out of Grandeeney's belly. Eyes widened, the boy watched as the sword in his mother's belly was forcefully pulled back out of body, followed by spurts of blood._

"_Mama?" the little boy looked fearfully at his mother. His mother smiled sweetly at him. "It's okay sweetie, Mama's fine." She staggered and fell. Igneel, fearful of what happen if he didn't do anything soon to help his wife and son would lose everything he ever loved. Rage took over him and flames suddenly appeared all over his body. Enraged and angered, he set fire to everything around him, killing the intruders in the process. He quickly ran over to his son and picked up his wife. He set her leaning at the door. Then he turned to him. His face showed sorrow, pain, and something he had never seen on his father's face. "Boy, you have grown up strong and happy. You made your Papa and Mama very proud." Igneel's hand shook, covered with his own spilling blood. _

_He gently rubbed his son's hair, and brought his forehead to hit his. "Now, Mama and Papa have to do an important task, okay? Your job is to take this and run as far away as you can alright?" the boy nodded his head, tears now pouring out of his eyes. Igneel brought his hand around his neck and started unwinding his scarf. He carefully wrapped his beloved scarf around his son's neck. _

"_Take care of this, boy. If you don't I'll come after you and give you a good smacking!" Igneel chuckled and the boy gave a trembling grin at his father's joke. A soft hand wrapped around the boy's fingers, taking his attention. His face contorted to fear at the state of his mother. The blood wouldn't stop flowing out. "Sweetie, remember that we love you very much. Make sure to run and never turn back, okay?" she gave him a soft kiss at his forehead. Her beautiful silver eyes held a sad expression, now pooled by tears waiting to be set free._

"_M-am-mama! I-I-I don't wanna go!" he turned to his father. "Pa-p-papa! Don't leave me! Don't!" the boy was sobbing, clinging onto the hem of his father and mother's shirt. Before he could utter another word, his father pushed him hard out of the house. He rolled to a stop and tried to get up to go back into the house where his parents were. But then, a wall of fire stopped his advance. Between the shadows of the fire, he could see more bodies coming towards his parents. He saw the faint outline of his mother and father, staring at him. "We love you, Natsu."_

"PAPAAAA!" Natsu woke up covered in his own sweat. Panting and gasping for air, he looked to see his arm outstretched, as if he could still try to grab his father's arm. _Another dream again. _He felt for his neck to see if his father's scaled scarf was still there, the last reminder of his parents. He remembered his mother sewing it for his father before his father gave it to him and pushed him out the door. He felt something wet on his face. His hand touched the side of his cheeks to find tears streaming down. He had been crying. Knowing full well that he will never see his father and mother again, he cried harder.

A hand suddenly stretched out to cover and hold his hands. He looked up from his tears and saw a girl lying covered in his bed sheets beside him with warm chocolate eyes and soft blonde hair. She was the girl who he saw before he blacked out. She looked sleepy, as if she was suddenly woken up from a peaceful slumber.

She smiled warmly at him and proceeded to wipe away his tears that wouldn't seem to stop. "It's okay. I'm here". The girl then brought the boy to her and smothered him in her embrace.

Confused yet grateful for her gesture, it was such a long time since someone had actually showed him any form of kindness, and he began to sob harder returning her embrace and holding on to her tightly. The girl didn't say anything, she just kept on rubbing his back and she didn't mind it when Natsu's crying wet her entire front shirt. Seemingly tired from his crying, the only sound heard from him was his hiccups now. The girl began to free his arms, only to be held around her tighter, as if he doesn't want to let go of her, for she was the only last tangible thing to keep him sane at the moment.

"It's fine, I won't leave. I just need to get some water for you. You must be thirsty, right?" she smiled at him. Natsu looked at her, realizing that his throat was indeed parched. He reluctantly let go of her and the girl exited the room giving one last smile before she disappeared. He finally took a good look at the room he was confined in. The walls were a nice color of pastel blue, giving off a soothing aura. The room had a wooden drawer with two nightstands on each side of the full-size bed that he and the girl was apparently sleeping in.

Beside him was a book. He reached for it and started flipping through the pages. He saw some of the pages had the top end corner folded into doggy ears, apparently keeping tabs on the pages. Bored of the book, he threw it on the nightstand closest to him. Then a person entered. He looked up, thinking that it was the girl who slept beside him, only to see that it was a girl with short white hair and blue eyes. _Her eyes are pretty. _Natsu thought. _But it's nowhere near beautiful like that brown-eyed girl. _"Oh, you're awake! Finally! It's been two days since you passed out when Lucy found you.

_Lucy? Oh, she meant the girl that was with me._ And then the said girl entered the room. "Lisanna? What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be helping Mirajane with dinner?" Lisanna blushed at apparently being found out. "Ha-ha, you got me. Well, take care of the boy. Make sure to keep him warm and cuddly!" Lisanna laughed while running off with Lucy raising a fist at her retreating back about their sleeping arrangements. It was Lucy's turn to blush now. "Eh-heh. Don't mind Lisanna, she's like that. You'll get used to it pretty soon enough."

Lucy walked over to the nightstand and placed the glasses she was carrying. She gave him a glass of what appeared to be hot chocolate. He began sipping the sweet, warm drink. When was the last time he actually had anything warm to drink? _Oh yea, since Mama and Papa died._ His eyes watered at the thought of his deceased parents. Lucy saw his watery eyes and mistook it for the hot chocolate being too hot. "Oh no! Is it too hot for you?" she began to flutter over him like a mother getting freaked out over a child's sprained knee.

Natsu looked up from his watery eyes and saw Lucy with a worried expression and began to chuckle.

"H-hah? Are you okay?" Lucy put a hand on Natsu's forehead, afraid that he might be delirious from some kind of fever. _He's weird. _Lucy thought. _He was tearing up one moment and then he just started chuckling. _

Lucy had this weird expression on her face, deep in concentration. Looking at her adorable face, Natsu just started laughing. "HAHAHAHA! You're weird!" his outburst came out as a shock to her.

Lucy blushed profusely. She looked at him indignantly, thinking the same thought he had, but referring to him.

"What are you talking about?" she puffed out her cheeks, reddening. But doing that made her look even more adorable. Natsu was laughing so hard to the point that he choked on his own saliva. "HAH-ACK! *COUGH COUGH*"

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Lucy began patting his back so he could get his breathing back even again. He finally stopped coughing, looking at her for the first time in this close proximity. She had really big eyes, and long fluttering eyelashes that will definitely turn male heads looking her way if she bats her eyes at a passing male. Her rosy cheeks made her look like a princess come to life, especially with her lush, pouty lips.

He didn't notice that he was staring at her for way too long, until she began to cough purposely. "You finish checking me out yet?" Lucy teased lightly. It was his turn to blush now. "S-shut-up." He mumbled. It just made Lucy laugh even harder. Her laughter was so contagious that he began to smile too, a real one since that tragic day. Lucy stopped laughing, moving closer to Natsu's face, which was too close for comfort.

"W-what?" Natsu asked, questionably. She pondered for a moment, and then she had this huge grin on her face. "Y'know, you look cuter if you smile more!"

"W-wh-what?" he spluttered. Damn, he's stuttering too much for his own good.

But Lucy just left it at that and began to ask him for questions.

"How old are you?" Lucy asked.

"Ten."

"Huh, then you're the same age as me!" she giggled at their same ages. For some reason, her smiles and laughter seemed soothing to him and it sounded nice too.

"Where are you from."

"Don't know."

"Huh? You don't know? How can you not know?"

He just shrugged, but in truth, he didn't want to tell her.

"Oh yea, what's your name?" His smile instantly dropped. He looked up at her, wondering if he should or shouldn't. He doesn't even know if he should trust her. What happens if she's in league with those masked men? He did a look-over on her again. _Nah, I don't think she's that smart and strong to be with those men. _

"What?"

Natsu looked up at her, with her cute face pinched in annoyance. "What do you mean I'm not strong or smart?" she asked indignantly.

Oops. He said it aloud. Oh well. "Natsu." He replied.

"What?" Lucy asked, apparently at a loss for words with his confusing words.

"My name's Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." He looked at her, waiting for a reaction like the many people he told his clan surname to. But what he expected was the opposite reaction from her.

"Really?" her eyes were shining, and she acted like a kid that was about to get candy. Most people would undoubtedly be scared of him, or ready to turn him in for the bounty money that would definitely be useful to their families for months. The "Dragneel" name was a name to be feared and revered because they were one of the last magic users alive in the world and a formidable clan; each of them had the power of an element to their bidding. It is said that the fire element was the most destructive of all and the most powerful. Actually, the dark element was the strongest but it was banished a long time ago because of a taboo that was committed. Because of their magical powers, they were hunted to near extinction. His family was the last Dragneels that existed, in his knowledge. If there were any other, then they must have had an excellent hiding place or have blended well into their surroundings, or were killed off.

Her expression, of being surprised and really excited turned into a deep frown. Did she change his mind of him after learning his name? Natsu couldn't tell.

"But wait, weren't the last of the Dragneels killed two years ago? There was a family of three but they said the kid ran off…" she tilted her head to the side slightly. But her curiosity for the family dispersed after seeing Natsu's hurt and saddened expression. "Oh…" she instantly knew that kid was him. "I'm sorry Natsu…I didn't know…"

Natsu shrugged off the comment. "It's okay, I'm fine, besides it happened a long time ago." He turned his head to the side, but Lucy knew better that Natsu's trembling shoulders was a sign trying his hardest not to cry.

Then, she noticed his scarf around his neck. Without a second's hesitation, she brought her hand to hold the scarf and brought it closer for inspection. But doing so, made both of their heads clash together hard.

"Oooww! What was that for Luigi!" Natsu exclaimed angrily.

"Shut-up and my name's Lucy, not Luigi." She inspected his scarf; it was soft but hard but at the same time it's as though it was really made from scales of a dragon. Dragon scales were known to be soft and durable, even to magic attacks. But they were really rare, and to get a hold of even handful was extremely hard.

"Hey…is it really made from dragon scal—"

"Yes. It is." He looked straight into her eyes, as if provoking her to doubt it if it was true or not. But she just smiled at him.

"Of course, it's real. It's from your parents, isn't it?" Natsu was surprised at her words. She never fails to surprise him. She's the first person since his parents' death to acknowledge him and his fearful heritage.

He gazed down and held the other end of the scarf and gave a soft smile. "Yea, it is." He almost whispered it that Lucy almost couldn't catch it. Almost.

Then she suddenly had an idea. She grabbed his hand and propelled him out of the bed. "Come! Let me show you around the house and the other people living in it too! You'll love it, trust me!" Her bubbly face and sweet disposition, he just couldn't say no to. So he let her drag him all around the criss-crossing corridors, the halls, different rooms, living rooms, the main kitchen and the dining room.

"It's pretty huge…" Natsu mumbled.

"Yep, it is! My papa left it to me."

"Your papa? Where is he?" he grounded his feet onto the wooden floor, waiting for an answer. His curiosity of her parents got the better of him since she knows about his parents. He didn't even know who she lived with, besides the girl that was peeking him earlier and the girl they called earlier. What was her name, Miracane? Lirajane?

She looked back behind her, suddenly feeling the weight she was pulling around stopped.

"My papa?" she gave him a heart-wrenching smile. "He's with Mama now. In Heaven."

He instantly regretted his words. "I-I'm so—"

She shook her head, putting a finger to her mouth to tell him to be quiet. "It's okay, I'm fine, really." Pulling him along to put them back on track again, she led them to the outside yard. What greeted him outside stole his breath.

The yard was as beautiful as diamond reflecting off the colors of the rainbow in the sunlight. There were all kinds of flowers imaginable and with all the colors of the rainbow to boot. There were palm trees, willows, oaks, trees he doesn't even know of, arcadia, roses, lilies, even a pond with water lilies and lotuses. Heck, there was a coconut tree too! There was a huge yard where a playground was and enough clear space for a game of tag or two.

But then he suddenly remembered that it was winter. How could all the plants survive in the winter, especially the flowers?

"Look above you, Natsu." Lucy seemed to know what he was thinking. He looked above, only to see a glass-like dome above the tallest trees, providing sunlight and holding the warmth needed to help the plants survive. Natsu was in awe.

"What is this? I've never seen this before." He looked wide-eyed at the glass enclosing them.

"Ha-ha it's called a greenhouse. Papa got this built after he came back from another country during one of his business travels. Some people over there had things similar to this to grow plants that usually aren't suitable to different seasons, like winter. So, Papa built this, along with growing a few other trees that aren't from this region."

"Hey Lucy!" Someone yelled a bit further away, coming out of the trees. Out came a dark boy that was nearly naked, save for his snowflake printed underwear. Following him was a pretty girl who looked a few years older than him. Her scarlet hair was bound in one long braid. For some reason, she was carrying a sword at her hip.

"Heeey! I want you guys to meet someone!" Lucy grabbed Natsu's hand and brought him over to them.

"Natsu, this is Erza," she said, pointing to the scarlet haired girl, "And this half-nude boy here is Gray." Finally turning to the said boy. "Guys, this is Natsu. He woke up today."

"Hello, nice to meet you. You were out-cold and so blue when Lucy brought you in. it was the first time I'd seen Lucy so frantic and scared." Erza chuckled.

"Erzzzaaa…" Lucy hid her blush behind her hands.

"Hmph, finally awake? Took you long enough." Gray said disrespectfully.

A vein popped on Natsu's head. "What? Is there a problem with that? I'm not the one with stripping his clothes off, and about to take off his own underwear!" Natsu growled.

"What? Wanna have a go at it!" Gray challenged. He readied for his fighting stance.

"Of course, droopy eyes!" his eyes began blaze. But before either could knock each other out to the next dimension, Erza beat them to it by banging their foreheads together.

"Ah-ha-ha Erza…." Lucy sweat-dropped. Leave it to Erza to break up any fight.

Gray and Natsu both rubbed their red foreheads. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" both of them yelled at the same time.

"HMMM?" Erza gave them an intimidating glare that instantly shut them both up.

"WELL!" Lucy clapped her hands to get their attention and to break the tension. "Let's get inside now, I bet they're done with setting up the table and dinner for us." She turned to Natsu. "Let's hope you have a big stomach, Natsu, because you're gonna have one helluva plate of food!"

* * *

><p><strong>Personally, I don't really like this chapter. I just hope the next chapter will be more interesting for you guys!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**I have COME BACK!1!1!1!11! I am so SORRY for making my beloved readers waiting! I will reply to all reviews, sorry because I have'nt really checked it in awhile (which is true!) Thanks for waiting for this long!1**

**I will be back...with words.**

**DUN DUN DUUUNNN!**

**~Selaphia**

* * *

><p>BAM!<p>

Natsu woke up in a start. He woke up so suddenly that he was almost about to puke out yesterday's contents. _Damn you Gray, for making me drink those vile things! _He thought, referring back to last night when he challenged Natsu to a drinking match.

SMACK!

What the—? Something hit him right in the face, making him fall off his own bed, half of his body on the floor, the other still hanging off the bed. Who the hell is making those noises and hitting him? He looked up, only to see a tuft of golden hair, hogging all the pillows and blankets. Natsu sighed. "Lucy…" while shaking his head good-naturedly. So she was the one making all those noises again and movements then. She can give one helluva kick!

He got up and scooted into the bed next to her, moving away a strand of hair, covering her beautiful face. He smiled at her sleeping form that looked so peaceful, save for her open mouth and a drip of saliva escaping. She must have had a good dream again. At least he hoped that she doesn't hit him again in the middle of her drea—

PWACK!

A red mark like the shape of hand was perfectly etched onto Natsu's face.

"Argh!" Frustrated, Natsu moved Lucy closer to him to cage her in his arms so she couldn't smack him and move again for the rest of the night. Lucy, in all her sleepy glory, just lifted her eyes at the sudden movement of her body, only to see the golden eyes of Natsu's that glows only in the night. Or in another case, when he's angry.

Sleepily, Lucy gave a goofy smile at him that suddenly forgave all the things she did to him a few minutes ago. Snuggling closer to Natsu's abnormal warmth, she fell back into her dreamland again. Natsu sighed again. _I swear, she's gonna make me old before my time._

Yet Natsu just closed his eyes, holding her close to him. He loved her scent. It smelled of the flowers in the greenhouse that never seem to fade and of vanilla and strawberries where she grows them in her garden to sometimes make delicious desserts. _Hmm, maybe I should tell her to make me some of those cakes with the fire on top again as an apology. _He thought sleepily.

Before long, he fell asleep to her lulling scent and the even breathing of her sleep.

* * *

><p>Natsu woke with a feeling that something important was gone. He reached a hand out to where Lucy usually slept by him. ever since the incident seven years ago when she found him laying in snow. But he only found emptiness and blankets. He woke up too quickly that he barfed what he didn't last night.<p>

"Bleh!" Natsu wiped away the remaining vomit on his t-shirt. "Crap, Luce is gonna get so mad at me for this." He mumbled whilst looking disgustingly at the floor where his "drinks" were. Not a moment too soon, Lucy barraged into their room.

She sniffed and wrinkled her nose of the smell that invaded her nose. "Eww, Natsu!" she looked at the ground where his food last night was. "Ugh, you're cleaning that up. I know that Mirajane will certainly castrate you if she knew what you did to the Persian rug she bought last month." Natsu shivered at the thought. He accidently destroyed some kind of expensive curtains that Mirajane bought awhile back, only for her motherly nature to go berserk when she saw the burnt, crisp curtains.

Natsu shivered uncontrollably. She was just as scary as Erza when she wanted to. He was taken out of his nightmare of Mirajane by the scent of food. He looked at Lucy with a tray of food on her hands. She smiled at him, knowing how hungry he gets after a night's worth of rest.

"But before you eat, clean up that mess and wash up. I don't want to stay next to a smelly man". Natsu just grinned at her and ran out of the room to get the necessary materials to clean up his mess and to eat his breakfast.

* * *

><p>Natsu and Lucy stretched, ready for their daily morning run. The other house members would sometimes join them too just to get ready before their daily warm-up fighting against each other to keep their skills in check. They usually run on the track that winds through the enormous greenhouse and viewing the beautiful sceneries in it. Heck, there was even a waterfall in here…somewhere. Today, Gajeel and Levy were joining them today. Lucy's household just keeps on growing. Levy was already living with Lucy when Natsu came. Gajeel came two years ago. In fact, Lucy's house was like a castle compared to the other mansions he'd seen when he went out on various jobs to earn income such as guarding or taking care of a pest.<p>

In reality, the house that Judo, Lucy's father, left to her was perhaps a haven to all magic users. It only allowed magic users to come into the property and sent non-magic users back to where they started or to send them to the other side of the land, immediately skipping their land without setting foot on it. The land had a barrier that teleports people crossing it to the other side so they wouldn't know of the few, rare magic-users left in Fiore. And the property was huge. It stretched from the northern mountains to the forest that borders the town of Magnolia.

Luckily, quite a few people still knew of the magic-users or in other words, mages that still exists, and they mostly provide the jobs to them because they kept their secret a secret. The money they received from their clients keeps them going, even if they still had the huge fortune that Judo left to Lucy, but the rest of the members didn't want to use, since it was Lucy's inheritance, not theirs. And besides, Lucy already did so much for them, like giving them a place to live and grow up in. They were grateful for her for that.

Everywhere they went, they had to run as exiles, fugitives in their own country. But when Lucy and Makarov found them, they immediately took everyone in. The first was the Take-Over siblings. They were wandering around, desolate and no place to go. After a family saw Elfman change his arms to move the family out of the way from a carriage, they immediately insulted and screamed at him, just because he could use magic. Angry, sad, and tired, Mirajane took Elfman and Lisanna by the arms to lead them away, lest her anger takes over her, then hell will really break loose due to her considerable power.

Lucy saw everything and approached them. She boldly told them what she saw and told them to come with her if they wanted a place to stay. She took them up to her manor and introduced them to Makarov, her newly appointed guardian/father figure after Judo entrusted Makarov to watch over her. Makarov was more than happy to take them in, for Lucy had no one to play with for her age. Pretty soon, Lucy was bringing in strays, well, human strays.

Her household grew considerably within a few years and then, she found Natsu whilst strolling around and buying ingredients with Mirajane one day.

The stories for the other members will come another time.

"Ready for a pummel-down, Salamander?" Gajeel smirked and looked over to Natsu, ready to take on the challenge. The pink-haired sucker can never back out on a challenge.

"Of course." Natsu looked indifferently, keeping his sight on the trail ahead of them and, of course, on Lucy.

"Humph." Gajeel knew what Natsu was thinking about. He always looked at Levy too. But the pink-haired dragon slayer and the blonde-haired celestial mage are just too dense to even know that they like each other. Anybody looking at them could tell that they thought of the world with one another. Hell they even bicker like a married couple most of the time.

Off in Gajeel's own world of mumbling, Lucy and Levy looked over to where the two boys were at.

"Hmm, they really grew up, didn't they?" Levy told Lucy shamelessly. Lucy blushed. "Levy!"

"Hey, Natsu had really outgrown himself, I mean, look at those muscles; doesn't it just scream at YOU to feel them? Well, you sleep with him anyways so I bet you know it feels like, right?" Levy teased Lucy mercilessly.

Lucy, all red now, was too embarrassed to retort and proceeded to close her mouth for she knows that Natsu and Gajeel's hearing was good. But the two boys already heard it anyways. Natsu bellowed out loud, making Lucy looking like a tomato, while Gajeel was mumbling to himself that Levy wasn't talking about him instead.

Lucy, embarrassed enough, began her turn of teasing Levy. "Oh, but look at Gajeel, his biceps are just rock hard, aren't they?" Lucy had a coy look on her face. "I mean, he's looks so strong, that he intimidates other suitors away for you, isn't it? But you're grateful, because you get him to yourself, right"?

Levy turned into a reddening color, so much that Gajeel couldn't help but guffaw just as loud as Natsu did.

"Gajeel!" Levy yelled, embarrassed.

"Hahaha, that's enough, Luce." Natsu said while grabbing her waist and hoisting her up to his shoulders, same goes for Gajeel and Levy. Lucy and Levy looked surprised at what they did.

"Hey! Why are you carrying me!" Levy exclaimed to Gajeel.

Natsu answered her question. "Our challenge is to carry someone while running around the trail and back to the house. Losers get to wear a bunny costume for the rest of the day!" Both Levy and Lucy sweat-dropped at the outrageous idea.

"But why can't you get either Wendy or Romeo?" Lucy asked, holding tightly to Natsu, lest she falls.

"Because you girls are the closest people to us right now."


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry for the long update. There are no excuses. It's just that I had lost the drive to finish this story, although I thought about it almost every week. I couldn't bring myself to delete this story so I read it over again, and I'm quite surprised, even I would want this story to continue! Only if it wasn't mines TTxTT. Well, sad to say, I'm going to finish this story in this chapter with lots of fluff. It's rushed, I know but at least it'll have an ending than to leave it on a cliffhanger. I had hoped it'd be longer but I can't assure you that it'll update quickly. Well, time for the story!**

* * *

><p>Damn. I couldn't believe that it was my turn to do the laundry. Lucy wouldn't have it any other way. She had threatened to cut off kissing for a week. Can you believe it? A WEEK?!<p>

Natsu grumbled nonsensical things under his breath while sorting out all of his family's undergarments.

"Sort out the color, she says. Pour the right amount of detergent, she says. Fold the clothes after drying them, she says. What about what I have to say!" fumed a clearly angry dragonslayer.

After throwing in everyone's clothes, Natsu finally went through his and Lucy's clothing. Picking and sorting through colors bored him to death. Then suddenly, he saw a flash of bright, hot pink. Wanting to see what the bright color was, he picked it out from among Lucy's pile. It was soft, small, and extremely light. It had a nice scent to it too.

Then, as quickly as he grabbed it, he dropped it. What he was holding and sniffing was no other than Lucy's underwear! Embarrassed at what he had done, he gently picked it up and threw it into the washing machine.

* * *

><p>In a richly furbished room sat the members of Lucy's male family members. Natsu, Jellal, Gray, Gajeel, and Makarov sat at a round table, all facing each other.<p>

Natsu looked dazed, because he was still thinking of the incident that happened earlier in the morning. Gray was itching to remove his shirt, but somehow Juvia managed to buy a shirt was too hard for him to remove with all those ribbons and sashes. Jellal was blushing again for the umpteenth time. He always blushes when Erza is in his thoughts. The other guys thought it was just plain creepy. Gajeel was just looking as bored as ever.

"So, as to why I brought you guys here…" Makarov began, "we have a party to plan."

All the men, excluding Natsu, inputted things here and there. He was still in his own thoughts, not realizing that it had already been thirty minutes since the meeting had started. He was hardly paying attention to the group because he was still pondering why underwear came in those bright colors. The party had been about Wendy's 15th birthday. Because the girls always planned the parties, Makarov wanted a chance to spare the girls from the plans.

Instead he told them that the guys will handle everything. Yes, including the decorating. All the girls had to worry about was just the cooking because the guys can't cook to save their pathetic lives. Makarov went out to get some things he forgot, leaving the guys to their own devices.

When everyone in the room had voiced their opinions, they couldn't agree on the theme, so they looked to Natsu and asked him, "Should we use angels or fairies for Wendy's theme?"

Still out of it, nodding his head Natsu replied, "Yes, yes, panty's good."

All men snapped their heads to him.

A strained silence followed.

"Aha…d-did I say p-panty? I mean fairy, fairy's good." An ashamed Natsu replied.

Jellal kept staring at him. He suddenly said, "You know, it's alright to be curious about your lover's underwear."

Shocked and spluttering, a red-faced Natsu exclaimed, "Can we just drop that subject?"

Another silence ensued.

"Can you believe it?! Pink! Hot PINK! I didn't know underwear even came in vibrant colors!" Natsu yelled.

Gray eagerly said, "I like the new line of undergarments that came out. What's it called…oh! 'Victoria's Mystery'! Those laces are sexy."

"I like the silk ones. Very easy to take off and it's very beautiful." Jellal piped.

All heads turned to the one who hadn't said anything. "The plain, bold colors are nice. No lace." Gajeel grunted out.

* * *

><p>**2 Years Later***<p>

Natsu and Lucy had just finally come back from their honeymoon. Their wedding was went off without a hitch, although half of it became a blur when Gray and Juvia toasted them and then gave them glasses of whatever it was that was in them. How they got to their hotel the next morning was a mystery.

Wanting to see the pictures of their wedding, Lucy went and asked Erza about the photos. Bringing out the photo albums that held the weddings of everyone in the house, she gave it to Lucy. Going into the parlor room, Lucy wanted to find a quiet place to look at the photos.

Suddenly, a pair of warm hands enveloped Lucy's waist. Leaning towards the person, Lucy sighed contentedly. "Hey Natsu." She turned and gave him a quick peck.

"Hiya Luce, watcha looking at?" He asked.

"Just looking at our wedding photos. Remember our memories went fuzzy about halfway through the wedding reception? I wanted to see what happened." Finding a suitable place to relax on Natsu's lap, she began to go through the album.

Flipping through photos of Erza and Jellal's wedding brought laughter to her. Juvia and Gray's had her tearing especially when she saw the photo of Gray making a life-size sculpture of them in ice. Then came their photos.

It was just pictures of smiling faces and blushes with kisses here and there. But one photo caught their attention. Natsu had a flushed slightly pink face and he somehow wore Lucy's wedding dress. Lucy was also in the same state, although she switched clothes, wearing his tuxedo, complete with a rose in her mouth.

In the photo, Natsu picked up the dress, showing one of his legs, with a shy, coy smile on his face. Heck, even the garter was on his leg! How drunk were they that night?!

"I want that photo!" Lucy piped.

"No!" Natsu quickly yelled. "I'm gonna burn that piece of little shit! And then bury it into the deepest part of hell."

After bickering about the embarrassing photo, they agreed that it should just stay in the album, although it must not show up in Natsu's face ever again.

* * *

><p>Romeo was having trouble trying to ask Wendy to become his girlfriend. Although with the help of the older members of his family, he still hadn't asked that damnable question. He always broke in cold sweat right before he could ask it. He did succeed in asking her for a date though. Looking behind him, he could see the figures of Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, and Jellal following him with their pathetic disguises.<p>

Luckily for him, Wendy was kind of dense in noticing them. After having a day of fun at the carnival, Romeo brought her to a fine establishment. Sitting at a table he reserved, he tried to start up a conversation while waiting for the food to arrive. While getting by with small talk, he tried to say something cool, but her eyes caught his full attention and wound up stammering "WANNA YOU WANNA WEENIE ME?" The end kind of trailed off in a shrill, choking warble.

Somewhere within the restaurant, he could hear the guys' guffaws echoing in the large room. His embarrassment was so evident on his face that he tried lamely to steer the conversation to the roses on their table saying how lovely they were.

Laughing softly, Wendy agreed and said they were huge and more beautiful than any she has ever seen.

Luckily for Romeo, the food came before he could make a stupid blunder of making another conversation. As the night wore on, they took a leisurely stroll along the bank of a canal. (A/N: Think of the one Lucy always walks on the edge.) Thinking that this was the right time to ask the question, he quickly said "WillyoubemygirlfriendWendy?" All in one breath.

Wendy couldn't quite understand what he had just said, so she asked to repeat the question again.

Red-faced yet again, Romeo said, "Will you be my girlfriend, Wendy?" And much slower this time.

Seeing Wendy's surprised face, and with her not making a sound brought Romeo's spirits down.

Tearing a little at her lack of response he stammered out, "U-uh it's alright if you d-don't want to—"

Wendy quickly silenced his lips with her own. The kiss didn't last long, but it was sweet and innocent. The sound of dreamy sighs brought him out of his stupor. The idiots were still following him. And then he blushed at what just transpired.

Looking at Wendy, he shyly mumbled, "I'm taking that as a yes?" Giggling, Wendy just smiled and gave him a peck on his cheek and slipping her fingers through his.

* * *

><p>***Ten years later***<p>

"WAAAHHHH!" Sounds of crying children were everywhere. A boy with curly dark blue hair was fighting with a pink-haired girl his age. "You droopy-eyed bastard! Give me back my keys!" the little girl yelled at him, pinning him down with her weight on top.

"Not until you give me back my Rave necklace!" He shot back just as heatedly.

"Children!" An exhausted 29-year-old Lucy and Juvia yelled at the same time. Pulling their respective kids apart, both the kids tried in vain to kick each other.

"Layla dear, why are you fighting with Fayt again?" Lucy asked her oldest daughter. The eight-year-old just sniffed, refusing to answer.

"Fayt…" Juvia drawled out dangerously. "What have you done now?"

"I didn't do nothing!" Fayt yelled out.

"It's 'I didn't do **anything'**, not nothing. Now what are you children bickering now?"

"Layla took my necklace that dad gave me! She won't give it back!" He huffed out.

"You took my keys mommy gave me, first!" Layla shot back.

"No I didn't!"

"Did too!"

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

"SHUT UP!" Roared both Lucy and Juvia. Both kids immediately shut their mouths, afraid of the wrath their mothers will inflict upon them. "Apologize! Both of you now!"

Both of the kids turned away, their lips tightly sealed.

"Dear" "Sweetie" both Lucy and Juvia said. "No playing with your fathers tomorrow."

Quickly looking up at their mothers, both yelled out "NO!" Then looking at each other, they both mumbled out "sorry" at the same time, although grudgingly.

Both mothers smiled sweetly as their young children. "Good, now mommy has to go make dinner. Come, let's go Juvia." Juvia nodded and followed Lucy out the playroom.

When the mothers were clearly out of sight, Layla and Fayt looked at each other.

"I hate you."

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the end of this story! Yes, it's quite short and quite different, but I just couldn't come up with anything anymore and it's three in the morning, I've been typing this since 10. Gosh I need to sleep. Just so you know, there have been references in this chapter that I've read from online, because they're quite hilarious! XD The underwear incident was from the story, "Let's Get Married" by luvtoshi. That story is just plain adorable. As for the rambling from Romeo, I found that online LOL. I hoped you enjoyed this story! Because I clearly rushed this chapter, please tell me my mistakes and I'll fix them as soon as possible! R&amp;R!<strong>

**~Selaphia**


End file.
